Charles dickens News

Toronto -
Charles Dickens’ works are so often viewed as boring, stuffy and antiquated these days, many don’t realize that his contemporaries actually saw him as a master of high and low comedy. Old Boz himself might even have enjoyed “Twist Your Dickens”.

London -
Halloween is perfect for the reading of ghost stories, and one of the masters of the genre was Charles Dickens. Over the weekend leading into Halloween, stories have been retold in the oral tradition beloved by Dickens.

Toronto -
Sometimes you have to approach a new adaptation of a familiar classic with an open mind. Nothing could ever match how you see it in your head or how you've seen it staged or filmed before; letting that go is the only way to be objective.

Every December, TV bombards us with holiday movies and specials, some old, some great, most forgettable. And the unofficial “holy trinity” of Christmas movies is “It's a Wonderful Life”, “A Christmas Story” and the 1951 version of “Scrooge".

Toronto -
Miriam Margolyes' one-woman show “Dickens' Women” brings the wit and emotion of Charles Dickens to the stage so vividly, it makes his writing sound almost contemporary. Even if you hate Dickens, chances are good that you'll enjoy this show.

You may recognize Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout from the “Harry Potter” movies, or her voice from “Babe”. You may not know that Margolyes, a lifelong Charles Dickens admirer, has been performing a solo show about the author since 1989.

Recently, an archivist at the British Film institute discovered a 1901 movie, just one minute in length, which is now believed to be the oldest surviving screen work featuring a character from the works of Charles Dickens.

London -
February 7 next year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. The British Library is hosting a free exhibition 'A Hankering after Ghosts: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural', from November 29 until March 4.

San Francisco -
No doubt, high-tech toys will be on many wish lists this year for Christmas. But perhaps few know that 19th Century writers like Jules Verne dreamed of things like computers linked by wire and even a cell phone.

Each year hundreds participate to present the Great Dickens Christmas Fair at San Francisco's Cow Palace. This year marks its 41st season and the Patterson Family hopes it will continue for many more.

Raymond Van Tassel, courtesy of The Great Dickens Fair

Charles Dickens novel "Great Expectations" has been adapted to the screen more than once. Each version has its own style and approach in telling the complex story with its cast of characters that Dickens wrote when he was 48 years old.